FAQs

This is not explicitly answered in the movie. One popular answer is that it was because of his French accent; however, the filmmakers have stated that they never intended for this to be the reason. George represents the many silent film stars that could not make the transition to talking films. Some could not speak their lines correctly, while others had voices that were not suited to be recorded. Also, in silent films, the director often used a megaphone to call out directions to the actors as the scene was being filmed. When "talkies" arrived this was impossible. Actors had to memorize the scene "on their own", and some just couldn't do that.